Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the pre-workout supplement Assault™ (MusclePharm, Denver, CO, USA) on upper and lower body muscular endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and choice reaction time in recreationally-trained males. Subjective feelings of energy, fatigue, alertness, and focus were measured to examine associations between psychological factors and human performance.MethodsTwelve recreationally-trained males participated in a 3-week investigation (mean +/- SD, age: 28 +/- 5 y, height: 178 +/- 9 cm, weight: 79.2 +/- 15.7 kg, VO2max: 45.7 +/- 7.6 ml/kg/min). Subjects reported to the human performance laboratory on three separate occasions. All participants completed a baseline/familiarization day of testing that included a maximal graded exercise test for the determination of aerobic capacity (VO2max), one-rep maximum (1-RM) for bench and leg press to determine 75% of 1-RM, choice reaction tests, and intermittent critical velocity familiarization. Choice reaction tests included the following: single-step audio and visual, one-tower stationary protocol, two-tower lateral protocol, three-tower multi-directional protocol, and three-tower multi-directional protocol with martial arts sticks. Subjects were randomly assigned to ingest either the supplement (SUP) or the placebo (PL) during Visit 2. Subjects were provided with the cross-over treatment on the last testing visit. Testing occurred 20 min following ingestion of both treatments.ResultsSignificant (p < 0.05) main effects for the SUP were observed for leg press (SUP: 13 ± 6 reps, PL: 11 ± 3 reps), perceived energy (SUP: 3.4 ± 0.9, PL: 3.1 ± 0.8), alertness (SUP: 4.0 ± 0.7, PL: 3.5 ± 0.8), focus (SUP: 4.1 ± 0.6, PL: 3.5 ± 0.8), choice reaction audio single-step (SUP: 0.92 ± 0.10 s, PL: 0.97 ± 0.11 s), choice reaction multi-direction 15 s (SUP: 1.07 ± 0.12 s, PL: 1.13 ± 0.14 s), and multi-direction for 30 s (SUP: 1.10 ± 0.11 s, PL: 1.14 ± 0.13 s).ConclusionsIngesting the SUP before exercise significantly improved agility choice reaction performance and lower body muscular endurance, while increasing perceived energy and reducing subjective fatigue. These findings suggest that the SUP may delay fatigue during strenuous exercise.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the pre-workout supplement AssaultTM (MusclePharm, Denver, CO, USA) on upper and lower body muscular endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and choice reaction time in recreationally-trained males
Research has shown vitamin B-6 to play an important role in the metabolic pathways required for exercise [10], while vitamin B-12 assists with DNA synthesis, which is necessary for the formation of red blood cells [10]
Research suggests that when supplementing with branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) prior to physical activity, recovery improves due to an increase in protein synthesis and a reduction in protein degradation [11]
Summary
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the pre-workout supplement AssaultTM (MusclePharm, Denver, CO, USA) on upper and lower body muscular endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and choice reaction time in recreationally-trained males. Most supplements contain different ingredients to produce ergogenic effects When ingested together, these ingredients may work synergistically to enhance various aspects of exercise performance. The effects of caffeine in combination with beta-alanine, branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), creatine, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 on ratings of perceived effort and pain have not been well investigated, when ingested as a pre-workout supplement. Both beta-alanine and creatine have been shown to delay the onset of neuromuscular fatigue and potentially augment the ergogenic effect of caffeine [8,9]. Studies have indicated that BCAAs do not improve endurance performance [12]; further research is required to examine the effects of BCAA supplementation on various team sport-related performances (e.g. repeated sprint ability) [3]
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